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Easy to please.
The Canadian government bought off the province of Sasketchewan with $147 million in gas tax money:
Saskatchewan municipalities will benefit from more than $147 million, over five years, in federal gas tax funding to be used for environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure and to fund increased municipal planning capacity. Funding totalling $17.7 million will flow in the first year, ramping up to $59.1 million in year five, continuing at that level thereafter.Saskatchewan has about 978,934 residents, so in the first year that works out to about $18 per person. In the fifth year it works out to about $60 per person."Today's agreement marks a new partnership," stated Prime Minister Martin, "one that will help ensure Saskatchewan's municipalities have the tools they need to grow stronger, more sustainable and to ensure a higher quality of life for their residents. Saskatchewan's cities and communities have stressed the need for new sources of funding, and for a voice in how those investments are made. We've listened."
Interestingly enough, assuming that one quarter of residents drive (244,733 people), using about 2500 litres annually at $1 per litre, a rebate of the GST alone would come to about $214 million over five years. The government got off cheap.